This week I am going to show you how to get up and running with the 3pi by Pololu. I will be going through all the steps needed to upload the line following program that is included from Pololu. Getting started with the 3pi isn’t too difficult, but there are a few applications and drivers that need to be installed.

Note: In this tutorial I will be using a PC running Vista. You can program the 3pi on a Mac running OSX or Linux, but it’s a different procedure. You can even program the 3pi through the Arduino IDE!

In the Pololu folder there is a subfolder called “examples”. Open that folder and you will find a line follower example program. Click on the “test” file in the “3pi-linefollower” folder and WinAVR should start loading.

To compile the program, click “Build” (F7) and check to see that the code is OK. If there are errors you will find them on the bottom of the screen. They will be highlighted with a red dot.

If everything compiles OK, it’s time to upload the file to the 3pi.

Connect your Orangutan programmer to the 3pi and press the power button.

Select “Program AVR” and click on “Connect”. Select “STK500 or AVRISP” and “Auto” AVR Studio should open a new window called “AVRISP in ISP mode with ATmega168″. In that window click on the “…” button in the “Flash” section. Select the “test.hex” file that can be found inside the demo line follow folder. Now you can click “Program in the “Flash” section and the code should upload to the 3pi.

Part 4: Making a course

Making a course is easy. Just use some electrical tape on a large piece of paper. Set the 3pi down on the line and press the power button. Now press the “B” button twice and watch the 3pi go!